Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what account her Department took of the public sector equality duty in taking the decision to close six offices across its estate.

The Department prepared an initial equality impact assessment in advance of the announcement of the location strategy, in line with our responsibilities under the Public Sector Equality Duty. The Department is now consulting trade unions and staff. The consultation is considering the impact on the individuals affected by the decision to close six of our offices, with a view to informing the measures to mitigate those impacts and enable those individuals to continue to perform their roles effectively.

The equality impact assessment is being updated throughout that consultation process, to include the feedback from staff, including those with protected characteristics. The latest version has been shared with the trade unions.

The final version will be published following completion of that consultation process. My officials have met with trade union representatives on a regular basis and will continue to meet with them throughout the consultation and implementation process.